Artificial tooth



June 3, 1924.' A E. FRANTZ ARTIFICIAL TooTH Filed Aug. l, 1923 ATTORNEYS Patented June 3, 1924.

Niven srarieEfSy ERNST FEANTZ, '0E HoBoKEN, NEW JERSEY. A

ARTIFICIAL TOOTH.

Application led August'l, 1923. Serial No. 1654,991.

T0 all whom if 771,641/ concern: v

Be it known that I, ERNST FizANTz, a citi- Zen of the Republic of Germany, residing at Hoboken, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have. invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Artificial Teeth, of which the following is a specification.

InV the construction offartiiicial teeth of the type which are secured to theusual mouth plates,.it has been'found desirable because of the frequent breaking orchipping of the edges of the teeth to provide a construction which will permit a broken tooth to be readily removed from the plates and replaced by a new tooth when necessary. The usual construction resorted to is to provide an attaching plate of suitable metal such as gold which is secured to the mouth plate, said attaching plate being provided with a substantially cylindrical projecting rib which extends longitudinally of the tooth and which rib is adapted to fit within a longitudinally extending groove provided centrally of and inthe rear face ofthe tooth, the tooth being slid longitudinally to engage the groove over the rib, and the tooth beingV cemented to the attaching plate to secure it in position. Because of the fact that the rib of the attaching plate is entered into the groove of the tooth from the top of said tooth and that the tooth when in position abuts the mouth plate, a tooth can only be removed from the attaching plate by sliding it downwardly, therefore it has been extremely difficult with the usual constructions to provide any practical means for reinforcing the thin tapered cutting edge of the teeth (at which edge 'the chipping and breaking usually occur) and at the same time maintain the ready detaclialoility of the tooth.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a new and improved construction of great simplicity and practicability for an artificial tooth of the type which is adapted to be detacliably mounted upon a mouth plate, by means of which the cutting edge of the tooth may be reinforced while at the same time permitting the tooth to be readily detached from the mouth platel when necessary or desirable.

For the accomplishment of these and such further objects as will hereinafter be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this appertains, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein specifically describedand il lustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein 'is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification `Figllfis a' front elevation of an artificial tooth embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structui shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. -3 and Fig. 5 is a perspective of the parts in a disassembled position.

The numeral 10 in the drawings indicate the usual tooth structure proper whichinay be constructed of any suitable composition. Extending klongitudinally and centrally of the rear face offsaid tooth isa groove 11, in which is adapted to lit `a substantially cylindrical hollow rib 12 projecting from the face of an attaching plate'13. The rib 12fis slid into the groove in the direction of the arrow A (F ig. 3) until it seats against a small shoulder 14 provided in the walls of the groove. The above construction is that conimonly used and by referring to Fig.- 3 it will be noted that the attaching plate 13terminates substantially at the .end of the straight portion of the rear face of the tooth 10. As the rear face of the tooth is sharply curved as indicated by the numeral 15 (Fig. 2) to form the cutting edge, the plate 13 can not be extended to the cutting edge without destroying the detachable function of the construction, because the plate 13 could not then be slid in the reverse direction to the arrow A to disengage rib 12 from groove 11'.

According to my invention I cut away the inner face of attaching plate 13 as indicated at 16 and I provide a reinforcing plate 17, which is of equal thickness to attaching plate 13 and is similarly cut away as at 18 to .provide an overlapping butt joint. Reinforcing plate 17 is shaped adjacent its `edge to conform to the curvature 15 of thecutting edge of the tooth 10 and extends just to the cutting edge to thoroughly protect it, when the parts are assembled as shown Ain Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawing. An arm 19 preferably integral with 4the .reinforcing plate is adapted to engage within the hollow cylindrical rib 12.

The manner of assembling` the structure 1s as follows The rib 12 of plate 13 is entered into groove 11 and said plate is slid longitudinally of the tooth in the direction of arrow A. until the rib is seated aga-inst shoulder 14, the arm 19 of reinforcing plate 17 is then entered into groove 11 and plate 17 is slid longitudinally of the tooth in the direc` tion opposite to the arrow A until the shoulders formed by the cut away portions of the plates are in abutting relation, arm 19 entering into the interior of the hollow rub 12 as Lshown in Fig; 3 of the drawing. The shoulder 14 of groove 11 limits the inward movement of attaching plate 13 whilev the vengagement of the curved end 15 ofthe tooth limits the inward movement of the reinforcing plate .17, it being understood that the out away portions 16 and 1.8 are so pro` portioned that they will be in contactingrelation when the plates have reached ltheir inner limited positions. Attaching plate 13 may be secured to the usual mouth plate either before or after the tooth has been mounted thereon. It will he understood that the plates 18 and 17 will be cemented to the tooth when the parts are finally assembled. K

It will be obvious that if desired the arm 19 could be made hollow and the rib 12 en- 1. In an artificial tooth structure, a tooth having a groove in the rear face thereof, an attaching plate provided with a projecting rib, and a reinforcing plate having an arm extending therefrom, said rib and arm constructed and arranged to be detachably interengaged within said groove.

2. In an artificial tooth structure, a tooth having a groove in the rear face thereof, an attaching plate provided with a projecting rib, a reinforcing plate having an arm eX- tending therefrom, said rib and arm constructed and arranged to be slid longitudinally in opposite directions into detachable interengagement with each other with said groove, and means to limit the movement of said plates as they are slid into engagement 3. In an artificial tooth structure as set forth in claim 1 in which said groove is provided with a shoulder against which said rib is adapted to seat to limit the longitudinal engaging movement of said attaching plate with said tooth.

4i. In an artificial tooth structure as set forth in claim 1 in which said groove is provided with a shoulder against which said rib is adapted to seat to limit the longitudifv nal engaging movement of said attaching plate and said plates are cut away to form an overlapping butt joint when said plates have reached their innermost limiting positions with said rib andr arm in interengagement.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ERNST FRANTZ. 

